


time has brought your heart to me

by supragirl



Category: DCU (Comics), Legion of Super-Heroes (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet Collection, Post-Crisis, Pre-Crisis, Prompt Fic, also some au shit thrown in there for good measure, some drabble length stuff in there too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24669544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supragirl/pseuds/supragirl
Summary: karabrainy ficlet collection of things i've written over the years. based in multiple continuities.
Relationships: Querl Dox/Kara Zor-El
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> deleted, reworked, and reuploaded.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> maybe one day they won't have to say goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: goodbye
> 
> continuity: pre-crisis, specifically around the silver age

They sit in silence like they always do before she leaves.

"Superman needs me," she finally says with certainty, though her voice sounds a bit watery. "I _can't_ stay here while he needs me there. And I can't keep going back and forth. It's too -"  
  
"I know."  
  
"One day, he won't need me to watch Metropolis while he's gone. He won't need me to be his secret weapon. And then… Then I'll be able to stay." She's trying to convince herself that it's true and he doesn't say anything. He just covers her hand with his and squeezes gently.  
  
Still, as he watches Kara step into the Time Bubble, Querl holds a tiny bit of hope in his heart that maybe - just _maybe_ \- next time they won't have to say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this collection was originally posted under the same name in 2014 under the handle fullofmetal. then i let it die for 6 years. now that i'm getting back into writing a little, i decided to edit and re-upload what i had already written rather than just adding to the old stuff.


	2. fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the flame that burns twice as bright only burns half as long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: fire
> 
> continuity: vague enough to either be pre- or post-crisis

In many ways, Kara was similar to fire.

She was lively, fierce, intense, and determined to burn brighter than anyone else.  
  
But as the ancient Earth saying goes, the flame that burns twice as bright only burns half as long.  
  


* * *

  
Life goes on without her.  
  
Querl has the Legion, his work at the Time Institute, _plenty_ of things to focus on other than her. But there’s always an ache in his chest, a feeling of being incomplete. And though it’s dulled over time, it’s never truly gone away.  
  
It feels as though Kara burned a hole in his heart.  
  
And he isn't sure it will ever completely heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally written and uploaded in 2014.


	3. children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> children are exhausting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lura is based on xtc/brainiac's daughter from kingdom come. kal is an oc.
> 
> prompt: children
> 
> continuity: au where my ship is allowed to live happily ever after. (or i guess kingdom come if you prefer that)

Occasionally, he is reminded why he never wanted children.

That isn’t to say that Querl _regrets_ his children's existence. He loves both his son and daughter dearly and the thought of anything happening to either of them makes him more terrified than he’d like to admit.

But being a parent is _exhausting_.

“I really don’t understand why you and Mama are angry, Father.” The toddler sits across from him, arms folded, her head raised in defiance.

“You were attempting to sell Kal for credits,” he explains, running a hand over his face in an attempt to soothe the headache he felt oncoming. He had been in his lab, working, when Rond poked his head in and asked him if he was aware that his daughter was in the lobby, attempting to pawn the new baby off.

Apparently, Kara had fallen asleep and Lura saw it as an opportunity to get rid of her baby brother.

“He doesn’t contribute anything to the family,” she shoots back. “All he does is cry and poop and sleep and eat. He’s _useless_.”

“He is only a few weeks old. You did the same at his age.”

“Jan and Shvaughn don’t have children. Don’t you want them to be happy?”

“If they wish to have children, they will have them on their own. Your actions are inexcusable, Alura,” Querl says sternly.

Lura frowns at the use of her full name. “I would have used the credits to buy something useful, like food.”

“We have plenty of food. Your brother is a permanent member of this family. You cannot get rid of him, nor will you try.” He raises his voice a tiny bit, hoping to get the point across.

Lura’s blue eyes narrow into a glare. “We don’t need more food?” she mutters under her breath. “Well, you guys didn’t _need_ a new baby but we got stuck with Kal anyway.”

Querl groans.

Being a parent is exhausting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally written and posted in 2014.
> 
> (considering querl could hold full conversations as a literal baby, it's not much of a stretch to assume his child would be able to the same at three-years-old, right?)


	4. sensual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's 11 pm and they finally have a moment alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt - sensual kiss
> 
> continuity - slightly au post-crisis/new earth
> 
> originally written for a prompt on my rp blog. the courtney mentioned is courtney whitmore/stargirl, & there is a convoluted background about how she & kara became roommates & why querl lives with them but that's not really important here. it's been edited slightly so it's not an exact copy of the one you can find on tumblr.

It’s so rare that they get a moment like this to themselves. There’s always some sort of emergency happening; something crashing in Metropolis, the Justice League needs her, the Titans need back-up, Courtney can’t get the toaster to work properly - 

But tonight it’s just them.  
  
It’s her night off, her communicator is powered down ~~( if the League _really_ needs her, they can come and get her )~~, and she’s _finally_ managed to convince Querl to set aside his work for the evening. Courtney is gone, visiting her parents, and for once Streaky is content to sleep in his cat tree in the living room.  
  
Kara takes the datapad from his hands, gently setting it on the nightstand as she crawls onto his lap. One hand presses against his chest as the other plays with the soft, blond hair on the nape of his neck.

“Hey there.”

Their noses brush against each other as she speaks the words, his hands resting on the bare skin of her hips. She ducks her head slightly to nuzzle against his shoulder, content to just breathe him in.  
  
It doesn’t take long for him to grow impatient and one of his hands slowly climbs up her back. She smiles against his skin before moving her head to press a tender kiss against his jaw, his cheek, the side of his mouth, and finally - _finally_ \- against his lips.

“Oh, how I’ve _missed_ you.”


	5. last words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> she's not alone at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt - last words
> 
> continuity - post-crisis
> 
> notes - another prompt from my rp blog. if the title + summary isn't obvious enough, it contains major character death. inspired heavily by this quote from brainy's personal log in annual #2 of supergirl volume 5: "i promise you, kara. you won't have to die alone. not like you did in the history books..."

She’s aware - vaguely - of her surroundings. She’s also aware of how _alone_ she is. Kara's lying in a crater somewhere in the middle of nowhere, flung far away from the battle and the rest of the League, and she can’t feel her legs or her arms or really anything other than an all-consuming pain in her chest.  
  
She hears a noise nearby, something so so _so_ familiar but she can’t quite place it in her current state. She’s so focused on that sound and the pain in her chest and the metallic taste gathering in her mouth that Kara doesn’t even register the approaching footsteps until someone is kneeling next to her, gently pushing her hair out of her face and taking her hand in theirs.  
  
Her eyes are unfocused and her vision is blurry, but she recognizes Querl right away. His cheeks are wet and she desperately wants to reach out and touch his face, wipe away his tears, but her arms won’t move. She feels moisture gather in her eyes and somehow, she forces herself to speak despite the pain in her chest and the blood spilling out of her mouth.   
  
  
“You’re here.”


	6. best laid plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> archive 5 has plans. ultragirl isn't interested in them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt - villain au
> 
> continuity - my personal version of earth-3, because dc was like 'here are five different versions of the crime syndicate. we're never explaining why there's so many bye' so it's my city now.
> 
> notes - so... these characters obviously differ from their regular counterparts, so here's a quick rundown:
> 
> ultragirl/kala zor-il: cousin of ultraman. vain and violent, she's happy to do what she's told because destruction is fun and kal usually lets her keep anything interesting and shiny she comes across. 
> 
> archive 5/querl dox: currently hiding in the past from enemies in his own time. allied with ultraman out of self-preservation, who keeps him around because he can create synthK and is an expert at getting information. cruel and calculating, he's really just biding his time until he can return home and destroy everyone in his way.
> 
> warnings - implied sex, murder, and drug use i guess?

They’re lying in their bed when Querl finally decides to broach the subject of leaving. Kala is _usually_ more agreeable after they’ve mated, so it's likely to be the safest time to propose his plan. 

His fingers trace equations on the skin of her back and he leans over to kiss her shoulder before he finally speaks.

“We could leave, you know.”

“Leave? And go where?”

She turns in bed to face him, propping herself up on an elbow.

“Far away. Somewhere we could easily conquer and rule without opposition.”

 _And I wouldn’t be trapped here, wasting my talents on your idiot cousin_ , he thinks bitterly. 

Kala stares at him, large blue eyes unblinking. 

“Leave Kal? Oh, he wouldn’t like that much.”

Querl almost wants to laugh. His mate is a goddess incarnate - indescribably beautiful and devastatingly powerful - but she can be so painfully dim and unambitious at times. 

“Kala, listen to me. You don’t have to obey him. In fact, you may even be stronger -“

“Stop.” Her tone is serious now. “He’d kill you for saying that. For even suggesting that we leave.”

He snorts. “And lose his access to a steady supply of snythK? I doubt it.”

Kal-Il is nothing if not predictable. His rabid desire for green Kryptonite - synthetic or not - is enough to keep Querl safe for the time being. 

“I mean it, Archie. He’s killed other lieutenants for less.”

Archie. Oh, how he _loathes_ being called Archie. He is the fifth Archivist of his house, his title is to be _respected_ , and to be referred to as such in his own _bedchamber_ after having his ideas dismissed - 

He maintains a cool mask of indifference, even as his mind rages.

Kala continues, frowning. “I don’t want him to hurt you. My protection only goes so far. Querl, I already spend enough time keeping you away from Owlman…” 

He knows well enough when to drop a conversation.

“I know, precious.” His hand reaches up to twirl a few strands of golden blonde in between his fingers. “I just hate to see you not being used to your full potential.”

A half-truth, but it seems to placate her nonetheless. 

She sinks back into the mattress, curling her body against his. He gathers her in his arms and when he presses a kiss to the top of her head, a sigh of contentment leaves her lips. 

The seed of his idea has been planted; he just has to wait for another day to cultivate it. 

One day, he’ll get her out from under Ultraman’s thumb. One day, he’ll get her off this rock full of brain-dead, short-lived plebeians. One day, he’ll usher her into his home century and she’ll lay waste to everyone that’s ever wronged him. One day, their offspring will rule galaxies. 

One day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> synthK: synthetic green kryptonite. unlike the regular dc universe, green kryptonite supercharges kryptonians on earth-3. ultraman and his family usually crush it and snort the dust.
> 
> \-------
> 
> so i've had this au in my head for years, and then jeff lemire came along and named his brainy expy in his quantum age comic archive v. i am too lazy to find a new name for querl so i'm keeping it.


	7. newborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> creating a new life is a miraculous thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt - ugly
> 
> continuity - technically, an au where i mashed a bunch of different legion continuities together to form my perfect legion, but could also probably fit in kingdom come.

Kara looks exhausted, yet happier than Querl has ever seen her. Their newborn is pressed against her chest and he can’t help the way his heart swells. It's almost strange to think that he and Kara have created a new life, a whole new person.

“Do you want to hold her?”

He's broken out of his thoughts by Kara's voice. Despite his initial nervousness, he finds himself reaching out to take the small bundle from his partner, and, for the first time, Querl gets a good look at his daughter. 

“I did not realize that infants are so ugly.”

“ _Excuse_ me?” 

Kara seems taken aback, almost incensed. 

This confuses Querl. He’s not saying it to be _mean_ ; it’s just the truth. Their daughter is a tiny, wrinkled, green mass of mucus and fluids with a few wispy puffs of blonde atop her head. Does Kara truly not see this?

“Do not worry. I’m positive she will grow out of it.” 

He means it. He is relatively attractive and Kara is the most beautiful woman in existence; their genes should combine to make a pleasant-looking child. She just has to grow up a little first.

However, this statement doesn’t seem to appease Kara, whose brow is furrowed in a way that indicates she’s still displeased. 

“Querl -“

“It’s not just our child," he assures her. "It seems all babies begin life similarly ugly.”

While he had spent much of his time avoiding Phantom Girl while Cub was a squalling babe, Querl did recall that he looked no better than his daughter does now. Same with the Ranzz boys. 

“Querl, give me back my baby.” 

Her arms are outstretched and her tone indicates she’s not asking. She’s demanding. He relents custody of the child to his partner, who immediately holds her close, whispering soothing words in Kryptonian against her head.

Finally, Kara turns back towards him. 

“You can’t just say your baby is ugly.”

“It does not mean I love her any less -“

“And you especially shouldn’t tell the _mother_ of your child that you think your baby is ugly.”

He frowns. She’s being irrational. Perhaps it’s the hormones. 

“You’re overreacting. Babies are ugly. It is a fact.”

If Kara wasn’t sitting under red sun lights, Querl is positive the look she gives him would come with a blast of heat vision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> random notes -
> 
> cub nah is the son of phantom girl and ultra boy. the ranzz boys are lightning lad and saturn girl's twin sons, graym and garridan. 
> 
> (... garridan has a lot more baggage but i just felt like keeping it simple for this fic.)


End file.
